Alyssa Edmèe Fanning’s paintings and prints explore psychological themes through depiction of the figure in oil paint, pastel, and linoleum relief print. Fanning’s work is representational and figurative but, in areas of her surfaces, verges on abstraction. Works from 2006-7, including Zero, are portraits featuring scaled up figures against ambiguous inky voids. The color scheme of these pieces consists of fleshy, visceral hues, contrasting with stark black. Portions of the body and face appear marred and ravaged. The works suggest a dichotomy between the external versus the internal body and play with the impact of such juxtaposition while exhibiting a display of carnage and damage to the subject.

From this seemingly violent subject matter Fanning shifted to quieter ground, still maintaining focus on psychological drama. From the scaled up red portraits the artist moved to cooler hued landscapes and interiors in her 2007-9 works. Some of these works feature figures that appear before the viewer in subtly distressing narratives, such as in Blue Passing, Coney Island; View of Brooklyn; and Hot & Cool, Coney Island. Figures in these pieces coexist in close proximity, but do not interact. In other works the energy of the figure is implied, but the figure does not actually appear, such as in Fanning’s Space Had, Fort Tilden paintings 2008-9. The Space Had paintings depict interiors of an abandoned army fort, suggesting scenes of a post apocalyptic landscape.

Fanning studied painting at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY where she graduated with highest honors in 2007. Fanning has exhibited at the University of South Florida in Tampa, the Broadway Gallery in Manhattan, the Brennan Gallery in Jersey City, and the Water Work’s Conservancy Gallery in Oradell, among others. Her work is currently on view in City Without Walls Gallery’s traveling exhibit “Metro 26”. In addition to exhibiting, Fanning curated a group exhibition, “Multiples” at Silent Space Gallery, NY in 2007 and co-curated, with Manhattan based curatorial project Broadthinking, the exhibition "Cosmological Map" at ABC No Rio, NY, NY in 2008.